


Up to no good

by Selana



Series: Bad ideas sometimes lead to good things [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Funny, Gen, Mischief, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 17:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1396516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selana/pseuds/Selana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ever since Darcy and Jane had joined the Avengers at the tower, life had gotten a lot more interesting. Loki hadn’t expected to like Darcy, but on the second day of their acquaintance she had cornered him alone and had proposed a very interesting bit of mischief. She needed his help, because it would only work with magic - and he had been happy to oblige. Since then they had spent time together occasionally - and might have played a trick or two on other people as well. Right now they were sitting in the living area of Tony’s penthouse and planning some more mischief. Yes, life was definitely less boring with Darcy around."</p><p>Written for a prompt on my tumblr, where I was asked: "How do you feel about Loki and Darcy from the avengers getting up to mischief (like a good Mischievous God should) and hanging out?"</p><p>This story loosely ties into my Bad Ideas verse, but can be read as a stand-alone. Just accept that Tony and Loki are in a relationship and the rest of the Avengers are mostly accepting it. Loki is spending a lot of time at the tower, but he doesn't live there. The Avengers do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up to no good

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to my wonderful beta [faeleverte](http://archiveofourown.org/users/faeleverte) who is a great help. She doesn't only make my stories more readable by finding my mistakes, she's a great help to find exactly what has been bothering me about my writing and how to resolve it.
> 
> Please leave comments to let me know what you think of this or any of the other stories in the series so far. I always love to hear from my readers, even if it is criticism - as long as it stays polite. You don't have to like my writing, you can certainly tell me when you don't like it, but mind your language, please. I have seen on too many other writer's works that they got insulted for not writing the story the reader imagined. If that happens here, I will delete your comment without warning
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just wish I would. So I just borrow them for some fun

Ever since Darcy and Jane had joined the Avengers at the tower, life had gotten a lot more interesting. Loki hadn’t expected to like Darcy, but on the second day of their acquaintance she had cornered him alone and had proposed a very interesting bit of mischief. She needed his help, because it would only work with magic - and he had been happy to oblige. Since then they had spent time together occasionally - and might have played a trick or two on other people as well. Right now they were sitting in the living area of Tony’s penthouse and planning some more mischief. Yes, life was definitely less boring with Darcy around.

Loki heard the elevator door open and quickly changed the subject of their conversation to something he wouldn’t mind being overheard.

“You really should know better than that, Darcy. I cannot think of anyone who would win in a drinking competition against Clint and Natasha.” Darcy blinked at him in surprise, but quickly caught on.

“Just remind me of that _before_ I try to drink either of them under the table, would you?”

Steps approached, had to be Tony, or JARVIS would have announced the visitor. Loki didn’t bother to turn around, Tony had been at the workshop for almost 30 hours now, he’d probably be dead tired and dirty. Not that he minded Tony being smeared with grease, but after that many hours of work, he wouldn’t be up for anything fun anyway. Maybe he’d walk straight into their bedroom, without talking to them. You never knew with sleep deprived Tony.

“You two know that you are fooling exactly no one with this innocent conversation?” Tony was standing behind Loki now, bending over the back of the sofa to press a quick kiss on his lips. Loki obligingly turned his way and deepened their kiss for a moment. Tony straightened up again. “What are you up to this time?”

“What makes you think we are up to anything?” Loki and Darcy turned almost identical innocent expressions at Tony.

“Let me see…” Tony pretended to think hard. “Maybe the fact that last week, every kind of cereal Clint touched turned into bird seed?” He glanced at Darcy who was barely able to suppress a giggle. “Even when someone else checked if it was cereal, and then handed it to him?” Tony glared at Loki now, who barely managed to keep a straight face. “Somehow that screams of magic, and we all know who is the only one with magic abilities in this place.”

“You were laughing at that one.” Loki raised a challenging eyebrow at his lover. “And why is that related to Darcy and me talking to each other?”

“Maybe because it happened the day after Darcy threatened revenge for whatever it was Clint said or did to her?” Tony tried to stare Loki down now, completely ignoring Darcy’s giggling.

“Coincidence.” Of course it hadn’t been, Darcy and Loki had a lot of fun planning and executing this prank. But he wouldn’t admit that, not with what they were planning at the moment. Because Tony was right, Darcy and Loki were definitely up to no good today.

“Of course.” Tony sighed and turned towards the kitchen, probably to get coffee. “At least wait with whatever you’re up to until I got some sleep, I’m dead on my feet and I just know that everyone will complain to me if you...”

“Then maybe you should go to bed instead of having more coffee.” Loki interrupted him and grinned at Tony’s baffled expression. Apparently he hadn’t really noticed that he was standing in front of the coffee maker until Loki had pointed it out.

“Right, I seem to be on autopilot right now.” 

Tony ran a hand through his hair and suddenly sounded as tired as he looked. Loki got up from the sofa and walked over to him, embracing him for a moment. Then he gently pushed Tony towards their bedroom.

“Take a shower, get sleep.” He kissed Tony on his grease smeared cheek.

“Would be much more appealing if you joined me.” Tony leered, more out of custom than real interest. A huge yawn ruined it a moment later and he glanced ruefully at Loki. “Or not, maybe I really need sleep.”

“Yes, you do. Just because you forget about it while you are working, does not mean that you are above human needs.” With another gentle push Loki got Tony past the threshold to the bedroom. “I will be here when you wake up, now rest.”

Tony didn’t answer, just stumbled off towards the bathroom. Loki closed the bedroom door and returned to Darcy.

“Back to your plan, Darcy.” Loki’s grin could almost be called evil; he loved to get up to mischief. And with Darcy on his side, he had pulled off some very creative pranks lately, Tony had been right about that. “Are you certain that targeting Natasha is a good idea?”

“Well, as Tony said, we just did turn Clint’s breakfast into bird seed. And you told me that you dyed Bruce green without turning him into the Hulk - I would have loved to see that one. The thing with Cap’s uniform turning see-through for everyone but himself was hilarious, especially because nobody wanted to tell him why they were staring. Who’da thought he’d go commando under the suit.” She giggled again at the memory. “If I prank Thor, Jane will kick my butt - and I’m really afraid of her sometimes.” Darcy counted off on her fingers. “That leaves Tony and Natasha.”

“Good point, but playing a trick on my brother would be so much fun.” Loki rubbed his jaw. “Maybe we can come up with something Jane would not object to?” He looked at Darcy. “Do you have any ideas?”

They discussed this for a while, coming up with plans, discarding most of them for one reason or another, until finally they agreed on what to do. Now they just needed the right timing and Loki had to prepare a few things. Two days later he was ready, but for the next few days things were kind of hectic at the tower and there wasn’t an opportunity to put their plan into action. Finally, when Loki already thought Darcy might give them away because she got too impatient, the perfect opportunity presented itself. Everyone but the two of them and Thor was away from the tower or busy in a lab.

Loki’s first step was to create a double of himself, which he sent to the communal living area with a book. He had enchanted it to react to interaction from anyone else in a distracted and dismissive manner - nothing unusual for Loki, especially when he was around the Avengers and Tony wasn’t nearby. 

Then he used his magic to disguise himself as Tony, who had just vanished into the workshop, mumbling something about a new idea - he wouldn’t reappear for hours. This was the easy part, illusions like that were something Loki had practiced for centuries, the rest would be more difficult.

Next on the list was a dampening spell, one that would dull JARVIS’s sensors in the communal areas and was undetectable by Tony’s technology. Loki had perfected the spell over the last few months and tried it out successfully a few times before he decided to use it for some bigger mischief. An additional, equally stealthy spell would mute JARVIS’s speakers, just to make sure the AI had no way of interfering with Loki’s and Darcy’s plan.

Once all his spells were in place and Loki was certain he could maintain them without any difficulty, he called Darcy and told her to get ready.

“Finally!” Loki smiled at the enthusiasm in Darcy’s voice. “I’ll go upstairs right away, give me a few minutes!”

“Of course, just try not to give yourself away before we get to the fun part.” It might have been easier to play this out with just another double of himself, but Darcy had insisted on being a part of this. Unpredictable, but Loki was nothing if not flexible, he was sure he could adapt their plan in case she made a mistake.

“Right, I’m not a complete idiot, you know.” Loki was sure that Darcy was rolling her eyes while she spoke. “I’ve waited way too long for this to mess it up.”

“Then quit wasting time and go.” Loki grinned fondly at her exasperated sigh and muttered confirmation, then ended the call. 

Time to get himself in position, which meant to the communal kitchen. Loki could spot his double sitting in the living area, otherwise the place was empty for now. Good, that would make it easier for them, less people to fool into believing that he was Tony and that the double was real. His brother would not notice if some of ‘Tony’s’ mannerisms were wrong, but Natasha or Bruce might. 

“Come on, Thor, I don’t know what Tony wants from us. Toldya already, he asked me to get you and come to the kitchen.” Darcy’s voice was audible through the open door now.

“I do not see why we are in such a hurry.” Thor complained, but entered the kitchen right after Darcy. “Friend Tony, you summoned us.” He beamed at Loki.

“Yes, I need a few people to test something for me, and you and Darcy were the only ones who had time.” Loki opened a cupboard and made a show of taking out something that looked like a complicated kitchen appliance - but was in reality just a crude combination of boxes and cardboard tubes with an illusion spell on it. It would still behave just like cardboard. “Here, this is my new breakfast maker, since that seems all you ever make in the kitchen.” He pointed at various parts while describing it. “It can make coffee, is a toaster and can even poach eggs.” With some effort Loki turned his smirk into a smile. “Wanna give it a go?”

“Oh, that looks fun!” Darcy was doing a great job at faking excitement, especially since the illusion didn’t work on her - disadvantage of illusions, once you knew they were there you could see through them.

“I have to agree.” Thor stepped closer and looked at the contraption. “How does it work?”

“Water tank gets filled through here,” Loki pointed at a short tube towards the back, “grounds go in there,” a small box that could be slid in and out, “coffee comes out here, don’t forget to put a mug under the spout,” a small protrusion at the front. “The buttons should be fairly self-explanatory, if not, I’ll have to change the design. I wanna keep this thing easy to use.”

“You said it was a toaster as well? And could make eggs? Is that what this part is for?” Thor pointed at a tube to right.

“Yes, you just crack the egg in there after you turned it on, the rest should work automatically. Again, don’t forget to put a dish underneath.” Darcy helpfully handed Loki a small bowl and a carton of eggs, which he placed on the counter. “And of course, this is the toaster, just put your toast or Pop-Tarts or whatever in, and it should detect what’s inside and how long it needs to be toasted.” Loki stepped back, to make room for his brother. “Have a go, I’m gonna watch. And wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee either, while you’re testing this thing out.”

Behind Thor’s back, Darcy winked at Loki when he settled on one of the bar stools at the divider to the living area. 

Thor was busy filling a carafe with water and pouring it into the tube Loki had indicated earlier, then grabbed the coffee urn to fill grounds into the container. A mug was placed under the fake spout and Thor pressed the imaginary button. Apparently Loki had outdone himself with the magic on this, because Thor didn’t even hesitate at the feel of cardboard under his fingers, the sensory illusion must be working as well. 

Thor frowned, when nothing happened, then noticed a small puddle of water near the back of the machine. “I think your machine does not work.” He tilted his head and looked at the machine more closely. “I did exactly as you instructed me and it does not produce coffee. Instead the water is leaking out at the back.”

Loki suppressed a grin. “Hmm… I’ll have to check that, maybe a connection got loose when I transported the machine.” He stood up and pretended to look at something, then straightened and turned to Thor. “Maybe you should test the other parts first, then I can make all necessary repairs at once.”

Thor didn’t answer, just deposited some Pop-Tarts - frosted strawberry ones - in what was supposed to be the toaster section.

“Do I have to press any buttons for this to work?” Thor’s forehead wrinkled in concentration while he searched for an operating mechanism.

“No, it should start by itself. If you hold your hand over it, does it get hot?” A quick spell placed heat right above the toaster slits.

“Indeed, it does.” Thor’s face lit up. “It seems this part of your machine does work.”

“Then let’s try the poached eggs thing while the toaster toasts.” Darcy, who had kept quiet until now, interjected. 

“Do you wish to test this, Lady Darcy?” Thor stepped aside to make room for Darcy, who took him up on it and came closer.

“So, I just turn this on, then crack an egg into this tube and it will come out here when it’s done?” Darcy gestured at the machine and turned around to Loki.

“Got it in one.” Loki smiled, fighting to stay in persona as Tony. It was too funny to see his brother struggle with some crudely glued together bits of cardboard in an attempt to make breakfast.

Darcy poked at the machine, to give the impression she was turning it on, then cracked an egg into the tube Loki had pointed out earlier. Since Thor was frowning at the toaster now - probably because the Pop-Tarts weren’t done yet - Loki could cast another quick spell which would slow down the egg on its way through the tube. It would take a minute or two for the raw egg to dribble into the bowl that Darcy had dutifully placed underneath it. Yet another silent spell caused a ‘bing’ to sound from the machine and the Pop-Tarts lifted up.

“These are cold, how is that possible?” Thor frowned at the still untoasted Pop-Tart he had lifted out of the toaster. “I did feel the heat emanate from the machine, why did it not affect the food?” he began to turn to Loki, but just then the egg slid out of the tube with a wet sounding ‘plop’.

Darcy began to giggle and Thor glanced at her suspiciously, then at Loki, and back at the machine. He frowned, then turned back around with a gasp.

“Loki!” He bellowed, having apparently seen through the magic. Loki dropped all spells, including the dampening spells on JARVIS, they wouldn’t do him any good anyway now that Thor had discovered that he had been tricked.

“Yes, brother?” Loki smirked at Thor. He expected to be yelled at, maybe even physically attacked, prepared himself for a defense. To his surprise Thor didn’t yell at him, or try to charge him, but burst out in laughter. The slap landing on Loki’s shoulder was almost gentle for Thor; Loki frowned at him.

“Did you think I have lost my sense of humour? Or why do you look so confused, brother?” Thor was still grinning. “You have played much worse tricks on me when we were only children.”

Loki hesitantly smiled back, still amazed by Thor’s reaction. Considering they were not even on speaking terms most of the time - or well, Loki wasn’t willing to speak to Thor mostly - he had expected Thor to get angry at him, or to be disappointed. 

“This reminds me of the time when you turned mine and the other children’s weapons into snakes because they teased you for preferring magic over fighting.” Thor turned to Darcy. “You should have seen them run, yet it was all an illusion.” He laughed at the memory. “Taught them not to underestimate my brother.”

“Not for long.” Loki laughed at the memory. “Though I loved reminding them again and again that I was by no means less capable of handling myself, even if my preferred weapon was not of steel.”

“Do not pretend you only used your magic to punish those who deserved it. I can recall quite a few occasions where you did it only to create chaos.” Thor grinned at Loki.

“There is a reason why I have been called God of Mischief.” Loki shrugged, still smiling. “And you have to admit it was fun when I got us out of attending a boring event by disguising goats as us and sending them there in our place.”

They both laughed at that and Darcy joined in.

“I can only imagine what chaos that would have created,” she gasped out between laughs. “Didn’t you get caught?”

“Yes, we did.” Thor confirmed.

“That was the less fun part of this adventure.” Loki added and looked at Thor, who seemed to remember their punishment as well. 

“I do not think it was worth it, but we certainly were not bored that day, brother.” Thor slapped Loki’s shoulder again in what passed as affection for him. 

“That is true.” Loki glanced at Darcy, who looked from him to Thor with the same expression she usually reserved for pictures of kittens and puppies. When had he started reminiscing and laughing with Thor? He had to get out of here, the plan had been to play a trick on Thor and get away, not to get closer to him. Loki heaved a sigh, putting on an air of indifference again. “Since this was your idea, I hope you do not mind cleaning up, Darcy. I have more important matters to attend to now.”

Darcy just smiled at him, then winked at Thor. “I think we can manage, what do you think big guy?”

“Of course, Lady Darcy. We would not want to trouble my brother, the master of magic and mischief with such mundane tasks as taking care of his own mess.” 

Even though Loki had already turned away, he could hear the amusement in Thor’s voice, was aware that he was only teasing. Part of him wanted to stay, wanted to be a part of this… family… friendship… whatever it was. But something stopped him from turning back and joining Thor and Darcy, from laughing with them. Things might be getting better between him and Thor, but he wasn’t quite ready to forgive him for the past quite yet. And a few shared memories wouldn’t change that. He squared his shoulders and left, maybe he should have a look at what Tony was working on.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me [on tumblr](http://selana1505.tumblr.com) as well, be warned of random fandom posts, personal ramblings and whatever else gets my attention. Occasionally there is fanfic too.


End file.
